• by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, January 28, 2020

After his impeachment trial is over and, as expected, he is acquitted by Republicans, President Trump needs to start a new TV ad campaign.

It’s perfect timing, coinciding with the announced, upcoming 60-second Super Bowl message.

Any new TV commercial could be a best-of effort, resembling a TV rerun, something our entertainment-savvy President understands.

It could start with Trump facing the camera and saying: “I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and not lose any voters, OK?” -- a rerun of Trump’s original speech in January 2016.  

He could add: “Article two [of the U.S. Constitution] says I can do whatever I want as President” -- a repeat of his July 2019 comments. 

Apology? Nah! There has never been an apology or a clarification about these statements -- from him or any White House press official. So why start now? Approval polls for President Trump have been rising -- though they have never passed the 50% mark since he took office.

If you, like Trump, believe this tough-guy political talk energizes the crowd, just repeat it over and over -- in a slick political TV message. He has the media money -- this time from massive fund-raising to buy plenty of TV time on ABC, NBC, MSNBC and Fox News Channel. Maybe on many local TV stations, as well.

More content could be included, such as any new phone calls made to foreign governments by President Trump after the acquittal. Some piece of the TV commercial could also tell potential voters he is doing all this for the protection of America, repeating his “America First” promise. 

Trump could also say that two terms is not enough to complete the job he needs to do.

Positive data, like lower unemployment rates, could be included, carefully leaving out the economic disparity numbers, comparing the growing divide between the wealthy -- the 1% -- and everyone else.

Evolving political advertising for Trump can also ignore any questionable practices by simply evoking “executive privilege.”

Question is: Who will be buying it? But first, the selling part. Would TV networks run this kind of Trump TV commercial, especially after a potential so-called acquittal of his so-called impeachment trial? That may be a test for some.